OnePlus 9 Lite specs just leaked — and they’re pretty insulting

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The OnePlus 9 Lite might be so lite that you should ignore it

OnePlus Nord 2 rumors
(Image credit: Future)

Plenty of rumors have told us about a third phone launching alongside the OnePlus 9 range next month. It may be called the OnePlus 9 Lite, or the OnePlus 9E, but whatever the name a new leak may have just revealed all of its specs.

Greek site Techmaniacs has the lowdown on the low-cost OnePlus 9 device, although some of these specs sound more like a new OnePlus Nord than any sort of flagship-lite model.

Techmaniacs claims that the phone will pack in 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 5,000 mAH battery, and a 64-megapixel camera. All good so far. It’s also set to have a 6.5-inch 90Hz display with Full HD resolution, all of which are pretty standard for OnePlus these days. However it is said to be running on a Snapdragon 690 processor.

The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are expected to pack in the flagship Snapdragon 888 chip, so a 690 would be a downgrade. The chip may have 5G connectivity, but the 600 series is designed for budget and mid-range phones. In fact, it’s the same chipset that was featured in the OnePlus Nord N10, which arrived last October.

Meanwhile, past rumors about a OnePlus 9 Lite suggest that the phone would come with the Snapdragon 865 chipset. It’s older and less powerful than the 888, but it’s still the chipset featured in most of 2020’s flagships. It’s not such a terrible compromise to endure to save some cash. The same can’t be said for the 690.

It sounds like Techmaniacs has got its wires crossed, and confused the OnePlus 9 Lite with an upcoming OnePlus Nord model. We know more Nords are coming, and a 690-powered device would sit comfortably with the other mid-range Nord handsets already on sale. 

8GB of RAM is a step up from Nord devices we’ve seen so far, but the rest of the features sound very similar to the Nord N10. 

I’m being skeptical about this particular leak, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. Because having a Snapdragon 690 in a flagship-centric device is pretty unbelievable, and frankly it would be insulting for OnePlus to try and sell such a device with OnePlus 9 branding.

Rumor is the OnePlus 9 range will be launching sometime in March, so we don’t have very long to wait to find out what’s really happening, Until then stay tuned to Tom’s Guide where we’ll bring you all the latest news and updates on what we hear.

Tom Pritchard
Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.